Field experiments in CPATT’s long term program of pavement research

A new initiative involving an integrated lab and field facility and research program was described in a paper given at the TAC conference in Winnipeg in September 2002. This initiative, under the Centre for Pavement and Transportation Technology (CPATT), has received an unprecedented level of federal, provincial, municipal, private sector, and university support in a total package amount to $6 million. It is intended that the research infrastructure from this support will provide the capability for tackling a large range of problems and issues in the pavement and transportation field. A field experiment, constructed in 2002 and consisting of a number of pavement sections, is a major part of the CPATT program. It is located at the Regional Municipality of Waterloo's waste management facility, which provided the opportunity to have the sections subjected to a large number of heavy loads under carefully monitored conditions. Key variables in the experiment included different asphalt mixes (Superpave, SMA, and polymer modified) and key performance measurements include before and after FWD measurements, roughness progression (IRI) and surface distress. Extensive materials characterization measurements were also carried out. This paper first briefly outlines the contexts for the field experiments, and describes in detail the experimental plan, materials types and properties, structural design, loading history, and the performance record.